For three years, Chloe’s car safety solution was a combination of the medium-sized Snoozer Lookout car booster seat (strapped to the car with the right rear safety belt) and a harness-and-belt that she wore while in it (clipped to the right rear “latch bar” of our car). I felt pretty good about that approach, right up to the day that I watched a series of videos filmed by the Center for Pet Safety, showing what happens to a crash-test dummy of a Boxer wearing a number of safety harnesses/tethers (makers unidentified) in a 50 mph crash.
I was so horrified by the videos that I immediately swapped Chloe’s harness and tether and Snoozer booster seat out in favor of the Pet Tube from PetEgo. It was not a popular move: Chloe missed seeing out the window, and my husband missed canoodling with her. A year later, though, I can report that Chloe travels comfortably in the Pet Tube, and my husband has stopped sulking.
More about the Pet Tube in a moment, but those of you who travel a lot with dogs (going to dog shows, for example) will be wondering why I didn’t choose the safest option of all, a crate like the classic PetMate Sky Kennel or the snazzy new 4Pets Dog Box, strapped to the car with a safety belt or tie-downs. If I were starting from scratch, with a new puppy, that’s what I’d do, but I felt like that would be too much of a change for Chloe’s comfort. She had grown accustomed to being able to see us, everything in the car, and a good chunk of the outside world from her booster seat, and from a crate she’d see none (well, much less, anyway) of those things. She was cranky enough in the Pet Tube for the first couple of weeks, and it at least lets her see easily around the car.
[1/28/14 It turns out that this entire next paragraph (and the picture, above) is wrong: In fact, per the video reader that Terri posted in a comment (see below), the Pet Tube is actually secured by fixing its two straps around the back seat. Please see my update post for more details. Now, mind you, the Pet Tube worked for us for over half a year as I’ve described below, and I don’t believe it’s unsafe used that way — and it certainly is easier to move from one car to another if the straps are merely hooked over the headrest. On the other hand, secured around the seat back, the Pet Tube doesn’t budge — and it can be installed even in cars without headrests.]
The Pet Tube turns out to be a good choice. It took me awhile to figure out how it works best — initially, I left the straps long, and pulled the right rear seatbelt across them to keep the tube pinned closer to the seat, but a few months ago I realized that if I dramatically shortened the PetTube’s hanging straps instead, there was no need for the safety belt. In an accident, if the hanging straps were cinched short enough, the Pet Tube would swing up and forward without hitting the passenger seat in front of Chloe.
Here’s what I like about the PetTube: It has excellent ventilation and visibility. Both ends zip open, so when the tube is hanging from your car’s right rear headrest, you can load your pup into it from the right rear door, and also reach into the tube from the driver’s seat. It can be collapsed into a thick pancake (18″ in diameter and about 3″ thick) and secured with a zipper, so it can go into a suitcase for those trips where you’ll be driving at your destination. Chloe likes the PetTube because she can change positions without getting tangled up in a harness strap (and no harness means that loading and unloading her is easier on us too). Although it’s an awkward shape for a carrier, I like the fact that you can attach a shoulder strap to it in a pinch — it doesn’t come with one, but if you have an extra, stow it in the car for emergencies.
Here’s what I’m less fond of: The “optional” comfort pillow really is a necessity, since it creates a firm, flat platform for your pup to lie on (we add a soft pad on top of that — neatly, the same size supplemental pad we use for Chloe’s large SturdiBag, the XS Pet Dreams Plush Sleep-Eez pad, also works in her PetTube). That’s not a calamity, but the pillow does take up a significant amount of suitcase room. The PetTube also requires a real headrest to hook around — on a couple of occasions, we’ve found ourselves in cars with only vestigial headrests on the back seats, and Chloe’s had to ride in the right front seat area (if this happens to you, be sure to disable the right front air bag).
On balance, I’m happy with the PetTube. A hard crate would be safer, there’s no doubt about it, but the features (and convenience) of the PetTube work well for us.
Amazon links:
Petego Pet Tube Car Kennel
Petego Comfort Pillow for Pet Tube, Small
Petego Comfort Pillow for Pet Tube, Large
Pet Dreams Plush Sleep-eez Dog Bed
When dealing with pain, illness, or stress, some pets choose to stop eating no matter how many enticing meals they are offered. In certain cases, because a lack of nutrition can lead to serious health complications, veterinarians can suggest using a feeding tube until the pet begins to eat on its own again.
Feeding tubes can be used short-term while a pet recovers from disease or surgery or long-term for an animal with a chronic illness.
Dr. Johanna Heseltine, a clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, says that while feeding tubes can be a scary concept for pet owners, they are actually easier to manage than you might imagine.
Feeding tubes are generally recommended when a pet has not eaten in three or more days. The tubes can be used to provide food, water, and even medications.
“An important benefit is that most oral medications can be given through a feeding tube,” Heseltine said. “For cats or dogs that are difficult to medicate, this can greatly reduce the stress for the pet and owner. Water can be given through the tube as well, which is helpful for certain patients that need extra water, such as those with kidney disease.”
The three main types of feeding tubes are nasoesophageal (NE) tubes, esophageal (E) tubes, and gastrotomy (G) tubes.
NE tubes are very small tubes that go through the nose and into the esophagus; they are typically only used in-hospital. E tubes enter the esophagus from a tiny incision on the side of the neck, while G tubes go directly into the stomach through a small incision on the side of the abdomen.
While NE and E tubes can be used for short-term cases, G tubes must stay in place for at least two to three weeks for a seal to form where it enters the stomach. Both E and G tubes can be used for many months, as long as no infection or other issues arise, and are typically easy for an owner to learn how to use.
“Feeding your dog or cat through an E or G tube is not difficult to learn, but it may seem a bit strange at first,” Heseltine said. “It helps if you stay calm and make your pet feel relaxed. Often it also helps to have a second person pet the cat or dog so they stay still during the feeding.”
Any canned food can be used for tube feeding as long as it is blended with water to create a smooth and thin consistency. Heseltine often recommends choosing a high-calorie diet so that it can be given less frequently.
“It is important to go slowly when feeding. Generally, the feeding is done over a period of 20 to 30 minutes,” she said. “When it is done this way, the feeding should not be uncomfortable for the pet. You should also watch for any signs of nausea (such as gagging, drooling, and lip licking), which tells us that we need to stop feeding or go more slowly.”
Owners can also reduce discomfort by using room-temperature food; cold food can cause stomach upset and hot food can cause burns inside the digestive tract. If the food has to be warmed, Heseltine recommends using a warm water bath instead of a microwave.
“After the tube feeding, spend a little time petting and talking to your cat or dog to help make the whole experience a positive one,” she said.
Owners will need to keep the tube’s entrance site clean and watch for signs of infection; many special collars and pet shirts are available to help keep the tube in place and prevent the pet from picking at it.
“If the cat or dog starts eating on its own after an E tube is in place (or G tube, if it has been in place at least two to three weeks), we recommend leaving it in until the pet has been eating the full daily calorie requirement on their own for at least a week,” Heseltine said.
No matter how daunting feeding tubes may seem, a veterinarian can help you learn the process so that your pet can feel good and be healthy again.
“For my own pets, I have used feeding tubes three times to get them through major medical conditions,” Heseltine said. “It can be very stressful trying to get your pet to eat and take medications, but a feeding tube puts you back in control.”
Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the web at vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to editor@cvm.tamu.edu.